DirectRooms.com – Koh Samet makes merit for Buddhist Lent

Activities include giving food to monks and going to the temples for prayer and meditation as 16th July represents the beginning of Khao Phansa. In Pali it’s also known as Vassupanayika which translates as season of rain and as the rains start to fall heavily monks then go to stay in the temples for three months until October.

This tradition is maintained as the Buddha observed that as more leaves were made to fall to the ground due to the heavy rain, this resulted in a higher risk that creatures might be trampled on under foot.

As monks must refrain from killing all living beings the safest action was to stay within the temple grounds until the rains had stopped. Today the retreat is still observed and over the three months studies are increased and the monks practice more meditation.

People using Koh Samet hotels can also travel to other parts of the country which hold unique festivals over Khao Phansa such as the candle festival in Ubon Ratchathani where artists create beautiful carvings out of candles. In addition the Tak Bat Dok Mai festival in Saraburi sees rare flowers native to the region being presented at a shrine of Buddha’s footprint.

Lek Boonlert, marketing head at DirectRooms.com commented: "Hotels are set to be a lot busier over this time so visitors should make bookings online in advance."

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